STEVEN Rudd said he didn’t have to think twice after being offered the assistant manager’s role at Workington Reds to the end of the season.

The former Reserves boss returned to Borough Park this week to assist manager Lee Andrews after the shock departure of Gavin Skelton last weekend.

And Rudd said he was keen to help Reds avoid relegation and believes they have a capable squad who can do just that.

“I got a phone call from Lee and he asked me if I was interested and I didn’t have to think twice about it,” said Rudd.

“It is great to be back and to come in and help Lee and more to help the club and the lads as we look to avoid relegation.

“It is a big challenge but an exciting one at the same time. We have plenty of games still to go so this is all still in our own hands which is the main thing.

“We have a great squad and with a bit of hard work and the commitment that the lads have already shown, there will be time to turn the season around.”

And his work starts in earnest this afternoon as Reds travel to take on sixth place Gainsborough Trinity, who are teetering on the brink of the Northern Premier League play-off positions.

Rudd is well aware that this will not be an easy task as Reds lie one place off the bottom and eight points adrift of the next side, but they do have games in hand.

“Gainsborough are up at the top end of the league but at the end of the day the lads just need to go there and give it all they’ve got and hopefully we can come away with a result,” added Rudd.

“We have shown over the Christmas period that we are more than capable of competing with some of the top teams.

“There is nothing to worry about, we just have to put our stamp on each game and hopefully the results will start to come.

“We got to Gainsborough full of confidence and hopefully we will come back with the result we need.”

Reds will be without the suspended Gari Rowntree and last weekend’s goal hero Dan Wordsworth for the trip but Kyle May and Matty Douglas are available again after they finished their suspensions last week.

“We have two out and two back in again and that is something that has been disappointing and the lads know that, we’ve talked about discipline.

“We can’t be finishing matches with nine or 10 players, we need to nip that in the bud as it is not just that game that is affected we are then without them during a suspension.”

Scott Allison is also out of action after dislocating his shoulder which could see him missing for six to eight weeks.